‘‘Throughout my time in Parliament and as a minister I’ve never really considered myself to be a politician,’’ he said. ‘‘More of a sports administrator working in politics."

However, he said he believed he had been ‘‘a good minister’’.

‘‘I’m only too happy to admit I don’t consider myself to be a very good politician. In fact, there are many aspects of politics that I don’t really care for. But I certainly have the utmost respect for everyone who enters political life because it’s a very, very tough commitment. Far more so than most of the general public appreciate."

Mr Annesley is a former first grade rugby league referee and chief operating officer of the NRL.

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Pausing frequently to compose himself during his statement, Mr Annesely explained that ‘‘sport and rugby league in particular has been my life and in my blood since I was a kid’’. He said committing to another term in politics if re-elected as the member for Miranda in 2015 would mean it would be too late to return to a career in rugby league.

‘‘I obviously acknowledge the magnitude of my decision and accept that I’m letting a lot of people down, including the Premier, my colleagues, my staff and the constituents of Miranda and for that I am genuinely and extremely sorry,’’ he said.

Mr Annesley said that, as required under the ministerial code of conduct, he had sought the advice of the parliamentary ethics adviser before making his decision.

He had asked the Titans to include in his employment agreement a clause acknowledging the code of conduct's prohibition on lobbying the NSW government for 18 months upon leaving office.

However, he said that given the club is in Queensland, he could not foresee a circumstance under which this would happen.

Mr Annesley gained an early profile by raising the issue of sports gambling in his inaugural speech to Parliament.

He voiced his concern at the ‘‘enormous growth of gambling on sporting events and specifically the relatively recent advent of more exotic bet types, previously unavailable’’.

This type of betting was ‘‘potentially the most significant threat to the integrity of sport we have ever confronted’’.

Last year, Mr Annesley oversaw the introduction of laws which impose jail sentences of up to 10 years for match fixing, race fixing and other forms of corruption in sport.

Mr Annesley was appointed to cabinet shortly after being elected as the member for Miranda at the 2011 election.

The resignation will spark a byelection in Miranda.

In a statement, Premier Barry O’Farrell said Mr Annesley was ‘‘an exceptionally valuable member of the team and has handled his sports portfolio with skill and expertise’’.

‘‘Everyone knows Graham’s passion for rugby league and his background in the game as both a referee and sports administrator,’’ Mr O’Farrell said.

‘‘While this is obviously a decision I regret, I understand why Graham has decided to pursue the opportunity put to him by the Titans.’’